It is desirable to provide an article which is adapted to be mounted to panels or walls and to hold conduits thereto such as pipe of relatively small diameter and thin metal, with the use of only simple hand tools such as pliers.
The present invention is a one-piece stamped and formed clamp component having a base section, a pair of side walls extending therefrom defining a conduit-receiving region, and a clamping section extending from a first one of the side walls. The base section is fastened to a wall or panel with the clamping section in an initially open orientation, and the conduit is placed between the side walls. The clamping section is eventually rotated toward the conduit and latched to the second side wall to close the conduit-receiving region. The component in the closed state is then crimped into clamping engagement by outer extents of the side walls being pressed toward each other, forcing the clamping section inwardly against the conduit.
The base section includes a transverse plate portion adapted to be mounted to a wall or panel by a fastener and also includes spaced conduit-supporting platforms extending into the conduit-receiving region and shaped to engage the outer surface of the conduit placed into the conduit-receiving region. The side walls have conduit-proximate first sections adjacent the base section which are substantially vertical, and second sections initially diverging extending from bendable joints with said first sections and extending to inwardly-tent-back sections at outer extents. The clamping section extends integrally from the bent-back section of the first side wall initially outwardly from the conduit-receiving region and includes a hinge joint about which the clamping section is rotatable, and continues therefrom to include a first inner wall section, a central portion, and a second inner wall section concluding in a bent-back free end.
When the component has been fastened to a wall or panel, a portion of the continuous conduit is placed into the conduit-receiving region and adjacent the support platforms. The clamping section is then rotated to a closed position about the hinge joint, and the bent-back free end latches in the slot defined by the bent-back section of the other side wall, thus bringing the central portion of the clamping section at least proximate the surface of the conduit. With the use of a tool such as a pair of pliers, the diverging second wall sections are bent about the bendable joints and rotated toward each other into a vertical orientation, and in turn urge the inner wall sections also into vertical alignment. Rotation of the inner wall sections urges the central portion toward the base section for the central portion to tightly engage the adjacent surface of the conduit and urge the conduit against the platforms of the base section.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a conduit holder of one piece which is capable of being fabricated at low cost and is easily applied using a simple tool.